Water-heater.



JAMES A, DILLON, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WATER-HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Septdfi, 1913.

Original application filed March 27, 1912, Serial No. 617,247. Divided and this application filed. November 7 22, 1912. Serial No.732,826.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMEs citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented, a new and useful Improvement in Water-Heaters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in water heaters, and more particularlyto that type of water heaters employed in laundries to supply quantities of heated water to the washing machines, and is a division of my pending application, Serial No. 617,247, filed March 27, 1912.

An object of theinventionis to provide a water heater of the type above indicated, which is adapted to supply'large quantities of hot water to washing nachinesin laundries, and which willutilize exhaust steam without additional expenselfor heating to the laundries. 5

Another object of the invention is to provide a water heater or condenser that will rapidly condensetheexhaust'steam and heat the water, and which is provided with means for separating oil from" the steam as the same passes through the heater 'or condenser.

Other objects of the invention; are to pro vide means which will insure the utilization of all the latent heat of the steam and means in the form of a steam condenserflocated within the storage tank for the hot water, said lastnamed means serving to heat the water to a higher temperature than'would otherwise be possible.

In the drawing forminga part of this specification, Figure 1 illustrates a mechanism embodying my improvements, parts being broken away to more clearly illustrate the construction and to prevent crowding. Fig. 2 is a vertical, sectional view,"upon a somewhat enlarged scale, of the main heater or condenser, and Fig. 3 is a detail view,

showing the arrangement of certain of the pipes within the heater or condenser shown in Fig. 2.

' In said drawing, exhaust steam is adapted to be supplied from the exhaust port of a steam engine (not shown) through the pipe 10, and is then superheated by means of a coil 11, preferably placed in the stack (not shown) of the furnace to thereby employ heat which would otherwisebe wasted. The superheated steam next enters the main heater or condenser, designated generally by A. DILLON, a

' drawn off through the drip pipe 28.

the reference 12. The heater or condenser 1 as shown, comprises a large outer cylinder or drum 13, having a bottom 14, a top 15 and an intermediate partition 16 dividing the drum or cylinder into what may be termed, for convenience, a lower primary condensing chamber 17 and an upper, sec ondary condensing chamber 18. Secured to the upper end 15 of the heater and depending within the upper secondary chamber 18 IS a water jet cylinder 19, the latter having a bottom plate 20 located preferably near the longitudinal center of the cylinder. The water jet cylinder is closed on the top there of, by means of a cover 21, through which extends a pipe 22 suitably packed by packing material 23 and held in position by nut 24, as shown in Fig. 2, said pipe 22 serving as an outlet for anyuncondensed steam in the heater 12. Also extending through the cover 21 is a cold water inlet 25, which extends to apoint adjacent the bottom plate 20 and below the level of a double series of circumferentially arranged small perforations 26 formed in the water jet cylinder 19. The superheated exhaust steam enters the lower primary condensing chamber 17 through the pipe 27, which is so arranged that it directs the steam against the wall 13 and causes the steam to have a rotary motion within the chamber, so that any oil whichmay be carried by the steam will strike against the wall and drain down the same ontothe bottom plate 14, and then be The exhaust steam by coming in contact with the walls ofthe lower chamber and the partition16 will be partly condensed and cooled and will then pass up into the upper chamber 18 through a short vertical pipe 29 which has secured thereto, at the top, a T fitting 30, from which lead in opposite directions horizontal pipes 31, each having a vertical portion 32, the latter at their upper ends being provided with short pipe sections 33 which, as ShOWn in Fig. 3, are arranged oppositely so as to 'direct the exhaust steam against the walls of the upper chamber and cause the steam to have a rapid rotary or whirling motion within the upper chamber and around the exterior of'the water jet cylinder 19. The water, as it enters the water jet cylinder through the pipe 25, will be forced. out of the water jet cylinder through the perforations 26 in radial streams and into the rapidly rotating steam, thereby condensing the latter and at the same time heating the water, which will fall to the bottom 01" the chamber 18 and then pass out through the pipe 3-1 near the bottom of the chamber.

The water jet cylinder is also provided with an additional set of circumterentially arranged perforations 35, larger than the perforations 2G and located above the latter, said perforations being adapted to permit the entrance of steam into the water jet cylinder 19 to maintain sutlicient pressure on the water within the water jet cylinder to force the same outwardly in streams, said perforations also allowing water to escape therethrough when water is being admitted to the cylinder at a greater rate than the water flows out through the smaller perforations 26. j

The heated water, after passing through the outlet pipe 34c, is conducted to a storage tank 36, as shown in Fig. land by reference to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the pipe 22 is extended to a point below the floor plate 20 of the water jet cylinder, and is connected by means of pipe 37 to a coil 38, located in the bottom of the tank 36, said coil 38 being provided with a vertical end pipe 39 leading to the atmosphere and having at its lower end a small drain pipe 10. The heated water is adapted to be drawn from the storage tank 36 by means of pipe ll, having a regulating "valve 42 therein, said pipe 41 leading to" the washing machines (not shown). The cold water for the water jet cylinder is supplied through a water main 18, having a valve l ttherein controlled by means 01'' lever 45, having a float 46 in the tank 36 operated by the stored water. a v

A vent pipe 47 is attached to the elbow 18 in the outlet pipe 41, the vent pipe 4:7 extending up to a point above the normal water level in the tank 36. 'This vent pipe 17 is utilized to prevent any sediment from being sucked up from the bottom of the tank whenwater is being drawn off through the pipe 11 whenever the water in the tank;

36 reaches a low level.

The operation of theapparatus is as follows :The superheated exhaust steam after entering the lower chamber 17 of the heater 12 will be given a rapid rotary movement thereby insuring the depositing of any oil or other foreign matter which may be carried. by the steam on the walls of the chamher and after the steam has completed several revolutions within the chamber 17, it will next passup into the chamber 18 where it will again be given a rapid, rotary motion and will have projected thereinto the radial streams of water coming through the perforations 26. It the tank 36 is not filled with hot water the valve 14. in the water .steannany uncondensed portion thereof willthen pass up through the pipe 22 and through the coil 38, whereupon the complete condensation of the steam will be effected, thereby raising the temperature of the stored water still further, and preventing loss of any of the latent heat of the steam; Such condensed steam in the coil 38 may then be drawn oil through the drain pipe 40. Another important result obtained by my arrangement results from the fact that the wall of the secondary condensing chamber 18 is directly exposed to the atmosphere, and hence when the supply of exhaust steam is cut off, the wall will contract so rapidly that it will crack and brealrofli any scale or deposits which may be onthe' inner side of the walls, resulting from water jets striking the1eagainst,'and I have found from actual. practice that this sudden contraction results in the heater or condenser being practically self-cleaning, as the scale, as fast as broken oil, will be washed away through the outlet pipe 3 1. I 1 j Although I have herein shown and described what' mow consider to be the 'ret erableform of my'improvements, yet am aware that variouschanges and modifications may be made the details of construction and-arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention, and all such changes and modifications are contemplated as fall within the scope of the claims appended hereto. v I "claim?- 1. In a water heater, in combination a shell having a primaryand a secondary con (lensing chamber therein; a water-jet vessel within saidsecondary chamber, said vessel having a series of apertures therein through which water is adapted to be projected out wardly .in radial streams into said secondary chamber; an exhaust, steam inlet into the primary chamber; a pipe for conducting the steam from the primary to the secondary chamber, the open end of said pipe within the secondary chamber terminating-adjacent to some of said apertures in the water-jet vessel and arranged. to give the steam as it enters the secondary chamber a rotary motion around the water-jet vessel, whereby the streams of water are projected into the incoming steam radially; a water supply pipe for said water-jet vessel; and an outlet from said secondary condensing chamber for the condensed steam and heated water, substantially as specified.

2. In a water heater, in combination: an

outer cylinder having a lower primary and secondary chamber, said water-jet cylinder having a plurality of peripheral apertures therein through which water is adapted to be projected outwardly in radial streams;

an exhaust steam inlet into said primary chamber; a water supply pipe for said water-jet cylinder; an outlet pipe from said secondary chamber for the condensed steam and heated water; and means for conduct-' ing the steam from the primary to the secondary chamber, said means including a plurality of pipes having their upper inlet ends within the secondary chamber arranged to project the steam horizontally thereinto, said horizontal ends of the pipes being 10- catecl adjacent the apertures in the waterjet cylinder whereby the steam as it enters said secondary chamber is given a rotary motion around the Water-jet cylinder and the water is projected thereinto in radial streams, substantially as specified.

3. A water heater of the character described comprising, in combination: a main heater having a condensing chamber; a water-jet cylinder located Within said cham ber; means for spraying water into steam as it enters said chamber; a combined subsidiary heater and hot water storage tank, said tank having a heating coil therein; a pipe for conducting the heated water and condensed steam from said condensing Copies of this patent may be obtained for chamber to the combined heater and storage tank; a pipe connected to one end of said heating coil and opening into the interior of said condensing chamber; and means for admitting exhaust steam to said condensing chamber, substantially as specified.

4C. In a water heater, in combination: a main condenser having upper and lower separated condensing chambers therein; a water-jet cylinder disposed within the upper chamber and provided with means for projecting water into the upper chamber in radial streams; a water supply pipe for said water-jet cylinder; pipes for conducting steam from the lower to the upper chamher, said pipes having two separated terminals in the upper chamber arranged to give the steam a rotary motion around the waterjet cylinder and having only a single terminal within the lower chamber; an exhaust steam inlet into the lower chamber; a subsidiary condenser and storage tank having a bank of pipe therein, one end of said bank of pipe being in communication with said upper chamber of the main condenser; and a pipe for conducting the condensed steam and heated water from said upper chamber to the combined subsidiary condenser and storage tank, substantially as specified.

JAMES DILLON.

WVitnes'ses:

JOSEPH IIARRIS, PEARL ABnAMs.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

